NinePoint Medical – 2012 Fierce 15

The Scoop: NinePoint says its technology can do for organ imaging what's otherwise only possible through surgical removal, and the company plans to eventually allow physicians to image, diagnose and treat patients in the same procedure.

What Makes It Fierce: NinePoint Medical's device, the Nvision VLE Imaging System, provides pictures at a resolution unavailable in vivo at a depth unavailable in vivo, all in real-time. Basically, it does for organ imaging what's otherwise only possible through surgical removal, CEO Charles Carignan says, and that makes it a potential game-changer when it comes to examining dysplasia around the body.

But that's just the present. Nvision already has 510(k) clearance and a CE mark, and Carignan says the company plans to use its imaging technology to guide biopsies, pairing the tech with ablation to maximize convenience and save on healthcare costs by shortening the time frame of diagnoses and treatments.

"It has a big impact on patients who, now, for a procedure, you get a diagnosis, then get treated, then a diagnosis, then another treatment," says Carignan, a former CMO at Boston Scientific's ($BSX) endosurgery unit. Eventually, the technology will allow physicians to image, diagnose and treat patients in the same procedure, he says.

In the meantime, NinePoint's first focus is the esophagus, using Nvision to diagnose Barrett's esophagus, a cancer precursor. The device uses proprietary optical coherence tomography, based on intellectual property the company licensed from Massachusetts General Hospital in 2010.

NinePoint is planning a commercial launch in May, marketing the device in the U.S. and in countries across the EU. The company is still operating off a $33 million Series A closed in 2010, and NinePoint is starting up a second round Carignan says will carry the company into profitability once it gets Nvision on the market.

What To Look For: After the device's launch, NinePoint will look to expand Nvision's adoption beyond the esophageal world. Carignan says the company is researching pulmonary artery and lung imaging and has some interest from the ear, nose and throat community.